If you really think that they've been sitting on their butts or a year and are just now thinking, "Hey! I better look for a job!" then you really are clueless. I know quite a few people who have been unemployed for a while and not a single one of them spent any time not actively looking for work.
Even if they don’t say it, if a company has the option to hire workers who are currently employed, they will take them over those who have been unemployed, even if for only a few months.
It’s easier to get a job when you already have one.